Arsenal have the perfect chance to revive ‘set-piece FC’ against Hull
Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend after they beat Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The Gunners fought off a second half comeback to win 2-1, and remain unbeaten in Europe this season.
They now turn their focus to the league, as they welcome surprise package Hull City to the Emirates on Saturday. Mikel Arteta knows it won't be an easy test, as Hull currently sit 11th, the highest of all three promoted teams this season.
Arsenal's identity has long been seen as boring under Arteta, but the manager's style has clearly produced results. They have won their last four league games and sit top of the table by three points over Man City.
However, one thing that Arteta has drifted from is the reliance on set pieces. Over the past two seasons, the Gunners have been dubbed 'set-piece FC', yet this season, they have only scored one goal from a set play so far.
Despite it being a constant source of jokes from opposing fanbases, it has been a very useful weapon for Arsenal, and perhaps it should be something that Arteta decides to fall back on this weekend.
Arsenal could revive 'set-piece FC' against Hull
Looking at Arsenal's opponents this weekend, Hull have a very solid defensive record, conceding just one more goal than Arsenal have in the Premier League so far. They happily give up possession in favour of putting as many men behind the ball as possible, making it difficult for opposing teams to break through from midfield.
However, Hull's defence does have a weakness, and it could really benefit Arsenal. Out of every team in the Premier League, Hull concede the second-highest percentage of goals from inside the box, a stat, interestingly, that Arsenal rank the lowest in. (Data sourced from Opta)
| Team | Goals conceded in the box % |
|---|---|
| 1. Brentford | 100% |
| 2. Hull City | 90% |
| 3. Tottenham Hotspur | 90% |
| 4. Manchester City | 90% |
| 5. Liverpool | 88.89% |
| 20. Arsenal | 40% |
Seeing as it is a real weakness for Hull defending shots from inside the box, Arsenal should get creative, give Nicolas Jover the keys, and let him draw up set plays that get the ball on Gabriel's head, or a short corner that frees up space to drive a low cross into the six-yard box.
Arsenal have the perfect chance, not only to use one of their strengths, but to use it to exploit an obvious weakness in their opponents on Saturday; If they play it correctly, it could give them a comfortable three points, rather than a tight, scrappy 0-0 that Hull will try to make it.
